Device for demonstrating financial problems



(H0 Model.)

0. ELISON navms FOR DEMONSTRATING FINANCIAL PROBLEMS. No. 571,613.Patented Nov. 17, 1896.

IN l E N TOR WITNESSES: g

y ATTORNEYS.-

r 4: nukms v UNITED STATES PATENT I EEicE.

OLIVER ELISON, OF CONCORD, NEBRASKA.

DEVICE FOR DEMONSTRATING FINANCIAL PROBLEMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 571,613, dated November17, 1896.

Application filed August 12, 1896. Serial No. 602,576. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER ELIsoN, of Concord, in the county of Dixonand State of Nebraska, have invented a new and Improved Device forDemonstrating Financial Problems, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

The objectof my invention is to construct a device by means of whichfinancial prob-' lems may be demonstrated in a lucid manner, the devicebeing capable of illustrating what bimetallism means, what is meant by aratio, what is meant by silver nionometallism and gold monometallism,silver demonetized and remonetized, gold demonetizec anc remonetized,together with parity or par as applied to the circulation. of money, thedevice being exceedingly simple, durable, and economic in itsconstruction and operated through the medium of the wind in like mannerto a wind-wheel.

The invention consists in the novel con struction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outin the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forininga part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a front elevation of the device. Fig. 2 is a side elevationthereof. Fig. 3 is a sectional view through one of the plates,illustrating the windwheel in position thereon; and Fig. 4 is a detailview of the lower plate representing gold, the said plate being in thewind. Y

In carrying out the invention a frame A is constructed in skeleton formand of any desired shape or material. \Vithin the said frame a plate Bis located, which practically fills up the major portion of the openingin the frame, and the remaining portion of the opening may be closed bya second and smaller plate 0, which is usually at the bottom portion ofthe frame. In the larger or silver plate B sixteen openings 1) are made,the said openings being usually circular, and in the smaller or goldplate 0 a single opening 0 is produced. At the back of the frame avertical shaft 10 is centrally located, and this shaft is journaled in asuitable bearing 11 at the top of the frame and in a second bearing 12at the bottom of the frame, the latter bearing being closed at its lowerend to form a support for the corresponding portion of the shaft, andthe silver or larger plate Bis secured to this shaft so that the platemay be carried at an angle to the frame, if desired. The smaller or goldplate C is mounted to turn on the shaft 10, and one or more of itsbearin gs 13 are made to enter grooves in the shaft in order to preventthe lower or gold plate 0 from sagging or working out of verticalposition.

Over each opening in both the silver and the gold plates B and G apropeller-like wheel 14 is located, the wheels being at the front of theplates and are removed some distance from their front faces. The wheelson the plate 13 are of silver color and the wheel on the plate C is ofgold color. The centers of these wheels center the openings over whichthey are located and the said wheels are smaller than the said openings.

Each wheel 14 is preferably supported through the medium of ahanger 15,and these hangers, which are of stout wire or like material, are securedat their rear ends on the back of the plates to which they belong bysolder or other means and are located at or near the upper edges of theopenings. Each hangeris carried horizontally outward through and beyondthe opening at which it is placed, as shown in Fig. 3, and is then bentupon itself to form a vertical downwardly-extending member 15" and isagain bent to form a rearwardly horizontally extending member 15",terminating in a head, the lattercentering the opening, and thepropeller-like wheels are mounted to revolve on the rearwardly-extendingmembers 15" of the hangers. The wheels 14: may be stamped or shaped toturn in the same direction, or sundry of them may be so shaped as toturn in one direction, others turning in an opposite direction, andthese wheels are also preferably colored, those representing silverbeing of a silver color and the wheel representing gold being of a goldcolor. These wheels are turned or revolved by the action of the windwhen the plates carrying them are made to face the wind.

A latch 16 is attached to the larger or silver plate B, and when thisplate is to be held in the same plane as the frame the said latch entersa keeper 17, formed in or upon the frame, and a similar latch 18 isprovided for the smaller or gold plate, which under like circumstancesenters a keeper 19 in or upon the frame. The word bimetallism is printedpartially upon the silver and partially upon the gold plate, as shown.

The lower or gold plate 0 is provided with a wing 20, which is at aright angle to the plate and is located on the back, and this plate mayform a portion or continuation of the latch 18. The frame is providedwith arms 21, secured to the back at each side, and these arms arearched toward the center, and where they meet the arms are soldered orotherwise securely fastened together, as shown at 21 in Fig. 2. The twoarms are then carried horizontally and rearwardly from the arch, beingbent upon themselves adjacent to the arch to form a flat surface 21 andthe said arms are again bent upon themselves so that their upper andlower edges will be vertical and the two arms receive between them avane 22, as shown in Fig. 2.

An upper and a lower arched arm 23 and 24 are likewise provided, and theupper and lower arms are secured to the corresponding portions of thecentral back portion of the frame and are made to engage one with theupper and the other with the lower face of the flat portion 21 of theside arms 21. At this point all the arms are connected through themedium of a vertical shaft 25 and suitable lock and jam nuts 26 and 27,and the lower end of the shaft 25 is mounted to revolve in a post 28 orthe equivalent thereof, so that the entire device may follow thedirection of the wind; but the shaft 25 may be otherwise mounted andsuitable devices may be employed to prevent the shaft leaving itssupport.

Vhen the silver or upper plate B is loosened by detaching its latch fromthe frame, the said plate will turn so as to be at a right angle to theframe and in the wind, its latch 16 engaging with either the upper orthe lower supporting arm 23 or 24, preventing the plate B from movingbeyond a center line, and when the smaller plate 0 has its latchreleased from the frame the wind will carry it back at a right angle tothe frame and it will be prevented from passing the central line by theaction of the wind on the wing 20, which will be at that side of theplate in direction of which it would naturally be carried withoutsuitable resistance to the wind, and when the plates are brought up intothe wind the wheels will be silent, since the wind will have no controlover them.

The value of money is proportionate to the duty it performs as apurchasing agent, and gold and silver circulate at par or at a paritywhen legally given an equal chance. The free circulation of the wheelsof the two plates represents the free circulation of money and theparity of gold and silver as a purchasing medium, the breeze actuatingthe wheels simulating the law. WVhen both plates are brought into suchposition that the wind will act equally upon the Wheels, each suchposition of the device represents the application of bimetallism, bothgold and silver circulating from the same source and for the samepurpose. hen the silver-plate is brought into the wind, the devicerepresents gold monometallism, since the wheels on the silverplate aresilenced and silver is discarded or demonetized. By bringing thesilver-plate again before the wind the device will represent how silveris remonetized, and a parallel demonstration is obtained with referenceto gold when the smaller plate 0, representing gold circulation, ismanipulated in the same manner as the silver-plate B.

The sixteen circular openings in the larger or silver plate B and thesingle opening in. the smaller or gold plate 0, together with the wheelsover said openings, represent a ratio of sixteen to one, the silver inthe silver dollar weighing sixteen times as much as the gold in the golddollar. The ratio illustrated, however, may be varied without departingfrom the spirit of the invention.

The stamp or shape of the wheels is designed to represent thegovernment-stamp or coin, the material in or the color of the wheelsrepresents the substance upon which the monetary government stamp isplaced, and the breeze represents the authorityor legal tender, whilethe vane which controls the movement of the entire device represents thegovernment controlling the money. As the government controls legaltender so the vane controls the wheels in a breeze.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. A device for demonstrating financial problems,consisting of a frame having independent pivoted members, openings inthe said members, and Wheels carried by the pivoted members shaped to beacted upon by the wind and located over the said openings, as and forthe purpose set forth.

2. A device for demonstrating financial problems, consisting of a frame,plates independently pivoted in the said frame, the said plates beingprovided with a predetermined number of openings, wind-wheels carried bythe plates and located over the openings at the outer face of theplates, and latches for the said plates, whereby they may be held insubstantially the same plane as that of the front of the frame, orassume a position at an angle to the frame, as and for the purpose setforth.

3. In a device for demonstrating financial problems, a pivoted frame,plates pivoted in the said frame, each of the said plates being providedwith openings, the openings in one plate being of greater number thanthose in the second plate, and wind-wheels carried by the plates andsupported over the said openings at a point beyond the same, and lockingdevices for the said plates, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

In a device for demonstrating; financial problems, a pivoted frame,plates pivoted in the said frame, each of the said plates being providedwith openings, the openings in one plate being of greater number thanthose in the second plate, wind-wheels carried by the plates andsupported over the said openings at a point beyond the same, lockingdevices for the said plat-es, and means, substantially as described, formaintaining the plates at a right angle to the frame when their lockingdevices are released from their keepers, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

5. In a device for demonstrating financial problems, a frame, platespivoted in the said frame, one of the said plates being provided withsixteen openings and the other with a single opening, and wind-wheelsheld to revolve respectively one opposite each opening in each plate theWind-Wheels being carried by the plates, as and for the purpose setforth. 6. In a device for demonstrating financial problems, a frame,plates pivoted in the said frame, one of the said plates being providedwith sixteen openings and the other with a single opening, a wind-wheelheld to revolve opposite each opening in each plate said Wind-wheelsbeing supported by the plates, locking devices for each plate, stops forthe said plates, and a pivoted support for the frame, as and for thepurpose specified.

'7. In a device for demonstrating financial problems, a plate havingopenings therein, hangers secured to one face of the plate, extendingthrough said openings beyond the opposite face, the hangers being thencebent at an angle to their attached members and finally in direction ofthe openings to which they belong, centering the latter, and Windvvheelsmounted to turn on the centering members of the said hangers, as and forthe purpose set forth.

OLIVER ELISON.

Vitnesses:

GEORGE W. KEMP, R. O. MITCHELTSEN.

